Boiler-feed water heater



ill 25, 1923.

w. HILDEBRAND BOILER FEED WATER HEATER Filed Aug. 26, 1921 Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM HILDEBRAND, OF BERLIN-LIGHTENBERG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOB- TO HANDED 'MAATCHAPIPIJ H. ALBERT DE BABY & 00., OF AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, A

DUTCH COMPANY.-

BOILER-FEED WATER HEATER.

Application filed August 26, 1921. Serial No. 495,509.

Gasman UNDER THE PROVISIONS or THE ACT or MARCH 3,1921, 41 sum. n, 1313. I

i To all whom it may concern:

useful Improvements in Boiler-Feed Water j Heaters, of which the following is a specifi cation, and for which 'I have filed a plications in Germany Apr. 9, 1914; olland Jan. 18, 1915; Austria Apr. 29, 1915; Norway Dec. 13, 1915; Finland June 21, 1919'; Belgium Aug. 3,1920; Spain Mar. 22, 1920; Poland Mar. 16, 1921; Rumania Mar. 16, 1921; Hungary May 7, 1915; Switzerland May 1, 1915; Italy Apr. 15, 1915; France May 21, 1915; Great Britain Apr; 15, 1915; Sweden Apr. 30, 1915, Jugoslavia.

This invention relates "to boiler feed water preheaters such as are used for example, on locomotives, of the known kind in which a tube spacing plate or disc of a diameter less than that of the preheater shell or casing is supported by the water tubes themselves in the case of U-shaped tubes, or by a Water cap in the casenf straight ope-n tubes. so that the nest of tubes and their spacing plate, together with the water cap. if any, can be withdrawn longitudinally from the interior of the shell.

The object of the invention is to provide one or more guides or supporting members within the shell of thepreheater which while not positively connected with the tube spacing plate will engage the said plate at one or more points on its edge in such man ,ner as to facilitate its being placed in the correct position in relation to the shel' without removing the steam cap and will support the said plate when'in operation without resistance to slight longitudinal movements thereof caused by lineal expansion and contraction of the tubes due to variations in temperature.

Further objects and advantages of the said invention will be understood from the following description thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents in longitudinal section a boiler feed water heater exemplifying this invention,-

Figure 4.- represents in longitudinal section one end of a heater having a different plan of the same heater,

arrangement of tubes.

The reference letter 7' indicates the shell of the heater, having steam inlet and outlet branches marked 8 and 25 respectively, 112 the, water chamber, Jr; the steam cap, 'm m the water tubes, which pass through the tube plate a, the main function of which tube plate is in the case of U-shaped tubes to prevent the tubes from swinging when the locomotive is running, while in the case of. straight open tubes as shown in Figure 4 the tube plate has also the function of shutting off from each other and from the body of the preheater the compartments in the water cap 7 into which the tubes open. Ribs or guides b are secured to the shell 9' by rivets c and are rigid throughout the greater part of their length, but the part of each rib b nearest the steam cap it is preferably made somewhat yielding and adjustabe in regard to its pressure on the edges of the tube plate For this purpose the cross section of each rib b is reduced at the part (Z thereof so that the free end of the rib can be pressed inwardly towards the center line of the preheater by the action of a screw 7. A bolt 9 passes freely through the extremity of the rib b, the head of this bolt engaging the inner side of the said rib b, and the said bolt (7 being adjustable in regard to the shell of the preheater so as to limit the horizontal inward movement of the'end of the rib while permitting free horizontal outward movement thereof.

The edges of the tube plate a have opposite ends of the uides 0 can be tightened against these straig t edges a by means of the screws 7.

When the nest of tubes with the plate a has to be removed from the preheater, the screws f, f are loosened so that the withdrawal of the late a and tubes can be readily effected. Vhen inserting the nest of tubes the plate a is placed with its lateral recesses in register with the guide ribs 6 and slid into position with its straight edges a against the guide member 6, and the screws f are then tightened.

he invention is not limited to the examples of construction herein described, as the improvements can be adapted to other constructional forms of feed water preheaters without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a tube plate within said shell, a plurality of Water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly movable longitudinally in relation to said shell, and guide ribs secured to said shell longitudinally thereof, said guide ribs being adapted to maintain supporting contact with said plate during its longitudinal movement and in its operative position.

2. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a

recessed tube plate within said shell, a plurality of water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly insertible into and withdrawable from said shell in a longitudinal direction, and guide ribs secured to said shell and adapted to register in the recesses of said plate during such insertion and withdrawal.

3. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a tube plate within said shell, a plurality of water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly movable longitudinally in relation to said shell, and

ide ribs secured to said shell longitudinally thereof, said guide ribs having yielding ends and being adapted to maintain supporting contact with said-plate during its longitudinal movement and in its operative position.

4. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a tube plate within said shell, a plurality of water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly movable longitudinally in relation to said shell, guide ribs secured to said shell longitudinally thereof, said guide ribs having yielding ends adapted to maintainsupporting contact with said plate in its operative position, adjusting screws working through said shell to regulate the pressure of said yielding ends on said plate, and adjusting bolts permitting outward movement of said yielding ends.

5. I11 a feed water preheater, a shell, a substantially circular tube plate having a portion of its perimeter of rectilineal form, a plurality of Water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly movable longitudinally in relation to said shell, and a yielding guide member secured within said shell and adapted to engage said rectilineal portion of said plate.

6. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a substantially circular tube plate having a portion of its perimeter of rectilineal form", a plurality of water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointlf movable longitudinally in relation to said shell, a yielding guide member secured withinsaid shell and adapted to engage said rectilineal portion of said plate, and a screw working through said shell to regulate the pressure of said yielding guide member on said plate.

7. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a tube plate within said shell, a plurality of watertubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly movable longitudinallyin relation to said shell, guide ribs secured to said shell longitudinally thereof, and adapted to guide and support said plate during its longitudinal movements as well as in'its operative posl; tion, and adjustable yielding guide 1nenibers also secured to said shell and spaced apart from said guide ribs, said adjustable guide members being also adapted to support said plate when in its operative position.

8. In a feed water preheater, a shell, a substantially circular-tube plate having recesses at each side and straight edges at top and bottom, a plurality of longitudinal water tubes penetrating said plate, said plate and tubes being conjointly insertible into and withdrawable from said shell in a longitudinal direction, guide ribs secured within the sides of said shell and adapted to register in said recesses in said plate, said guide ribs having yielding ends and. means for enabling such ends to be adjusted in relation to said plate, yielding guide members secured within the shell at the top and bottom thereof adjacent the operative location of the tube plate and adapted to engage said straight edges on said plate, and means for adjusting the pressure of said yielding guide members on said straight edges of said plate.

WILHELM HILDEBRAND. 

